Chaplains in T2K

[pmulcahy11b]

By the time of 2000, I imagine a chaplain something like a catholic priest in Monsignor who made a confession to his superior: "I have loved a woman, I have killed for my country, I have consorted with criminals...father, I am a priest!

[WallShadow]

One wonders how many clergy have lost their faith, seeing what horrors man can inflict on fellow man?

[Silent Hunter UK]

Originally Posted by WallShadow

One wonders how many clergy have lost their faith, seeing what horrors man can inflict on fellow man?

Or people who have come to faith as they can no longer rely on fellow man - or indeed see that the End Times are coming.

Have you ever read Warday? There are a number of priest characters in that.

[CDAT]

So here is my chaplain question for the group. Under current laws of war Chaplains can not touch weapons, this is the reason every one is assigned an aid. I am guessing that this would fall by the wayside but would it be before or after "you are on your own". Thoughts, if after then they (the character) would not start with a weapon, if before they would. But either way would they have much skill with it?

[The Dark]

Originally Posted by CDAT

So here is my chaplain question for the group. Under current laws of war Chaplains can not touch weapons, this is the reason every one is assigned an aid. I am guessing that this would fall by the wayside but would it be before or after "you are on your own". Thoughts, if after then they (the character) would not start with a weapon, if before they would. But either way would they have much skill with it?

After. I would expect many denominations to recall all their chaplains if the military required them to be armed.

[Draq]

Like most things, I would think It would depend on the person and situation

[rcaf_777]

Originally Posted by CDAT

Under current laws of war Chaplains can not touch weapons, this is the reason every one is assigned an aid.

Actually under rule 25 of the Geneva Convention, both Medical and Religious persons are permitted to carry small arms for personnel protection and protection of their charges(Wounded) There is also (Protocol I, 8 June 1977, Art 43.2) that states chaplains are non-combatants, but dose address the issue of weapons.

The aid you talk about is not seen in many armies, outside of the US Army which has Chaplain Assistants, which carry small arms.

Many NATO nations consider Chaplains as commissioned officer, and under ago basic officer training. Most nations require them to have an ecclesiastical endorsement which come from that person completed all the requirements to be become a Chaplain in that faith. Additional a degree may also be required.

Germany is a exception as it has laws and Reichskonkordat between the Holy See and Germany, all of which prevent chaplains from joining military they are instead special civilian status.

More info can found at

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Military_chaplain#Germany

It should also be noted that there no US military regulation that prevents Chaplains for be awarded marksmanship awards.

I remember seeing chaplains armed with pistols in Afghanistan

I don't think it would be a big deal to leave to the PC's to decide if they have a pistol or rifle (nothing else)

[ArmySGT.]

The Catholic Chaplain we would pick up and bring back to our base carried a issue sidearm in 2003-2004. Some Chaplains are also Conscientious Objectors and do not carry. The Chaplains Assistant carried an M16A2. Because of the IED threat, my MP unit would come get the Chaplain in our M1114 Uparmored humvees, then return him to Battalion later.

[pmulcahy11b]

Originally Posted by CDAT

So here is my chaplain question for the group. Under current laws of war Chaplains can not touch weapons, this is the reason every one is assigned an aid. I am guessing that this would fall by the wayside but would it be before or after "you are on your own". Thoughts, if after then they (the character) would not start with a weapon, if before they would. But either way would they have much skill with it?

He would not come with a weapon, for he was not issued one; however, our battalion chaplain at 24th ID went to the range with our unit every chance he got, because he loved target shooting, and he could routinely shoot Expert. (I don't know if he was allowed to wear it on his uniform.) So a chaplain could in fact be deadly accurate, just not carrying a weapon (initially?).

The chaplain's assistant, on the other hand had a fully stocked HMMWV, and was literally the most heavily-armed man in the battalion, including an M16 with M203, an M1911A1 pistol, several AT-4s, a Dragon with 3 reloads, boxes of grenades, and ours carried both a hunting knife and a dagger. Of course, he also had to have mad skills and a good knowledge of rituals and holy books from several faiths.

Originally Posted by rcaf_777

It should also be noted that there no US military regulation that prevents Chaplains for be awarded marksmanship awards.

OK, question answered.

[ArmySGT.]

I don't recall. However, I would swear the Catholic Chaplain I was transporting had and issue M9 pistol for self defense. I think having a pistol is a case by case basis. I could well be fully wrong on that too, as it is fourteen years later.

[CraigD6er]

Not to derail this from journalists, but another option for a good character would be the combat chaplain. I'm recalling It Took Heroes by Claude Newby, about his service as an LDS chaplain that would accompany troops on patrols and missions. Obviously he's not going to be doing the fighting but if I recall correctly he had, unofficially, a handgun for self defence and carried part of the load for troops that were struggling. Such a character would be a boon for parties that aren't just the "kill 'em all and let God sort it out" types but prefer a bit more role playing.

[Raellus]

@Homer: Thanks for that helpful info.

@CraigD6r: I've long toyed with the idea of playing a Chaplain or Chaplain's Assistant in T2k. Using v1-2.2, such a character would be pretty useless, outside of strictly RP purposes. 4e actually makes the role useful, mechanically-speaking. It has mechanics for stress and mental trauma, sustained via combat (or witnessing various horrors of war). A character with the Counseling specialty has a better chance to heal another character's mental trauma. I built a Chaplain's Assistant PC using the Medic archetype and giving him the Counselor specialty instead of the suggested medical specialties. I figured he'd be called upon to assist unit's actual medic, so it's a secondary specialty (so he effectively serves as the party's psychiatrist and combat medic). For an actual Chaplain, I'd use the officer template and give him/her the Counselor specialty.

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[chico20854]

Originally Posted by Raellus

[I've long toyed with the idea of playing a Chaplain or Chaplain's Assistant in T2k. Using v1-2.2, such a character would be pretty useless, outside of strictly RP purposes. I built a Chaplain's Assistant PC using the Medic archetype and giving him the Counselor specialty instead of the suggested medical specialties. I figured he'd be called upon to assist unit's actual medic, so it's a secondary specialty (so he effectively serves as the party's psychiatrist and combat medic)

An awful lot of Chaplain Assistants I ran into had a Rambo complex. I'm not sure if it was out of a sense that they had a responsibility to defend an unarmed chaplain, or trying to compensate for their reputation as the "softest" MOS in the Army!

[Homer]

One battalion had the “super-UMT”. The chaplain was a prior service SF comms guy (better S-6 than the S-6). His assistant was an ex 11C Batt Boy, had ETSd and decided to come back as as a chaplains assistant. Needless to say, everyone wanted to get JMPI’d by chappie!

In T2K I thinking they’d become something like the Preacher and Hull in Pale Rider.

[Ursus Maior]

Shepherd Book in Firefly comes to mind also.

[Higgipedia]

Originally Posted by chico20854

An awful lot of Chaplain Assistants I ran into had a Rambo complex. I'm not sure if it was out of a sense that they had a responsibility to defend an unarmed chaplain, or trying to compensate for their reputation as the "softest" MOS in the Army!

HA. We had a Chaplain's Assistant who pissed hot for cocaine on a battalion-wide drug test. When they confronted her about it, she said it must have been what she THOUGHT was powdered sugar her boyfriend put on her pancakes.

[Raellus]

I have a vague recollection of reading somewhere that Poland was alone amongst the Warsaw Pact armed forces in having a military chaplain service (due to Poland's strong Catholic tradition), but I have so far not been able to confirm or bely this hazy memory.

Does anyone know one way or the other?

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